


Maybe in Another Universe

by fondofit



Series: As the Universe Dictates [1]
Category: BioShock, BioShock Infinite
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2018-01-15 08:30:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1298275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fondofit/pseuds/fondofit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's not quite sure if this woman is real or just a figment of his imagination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe in Another Universe

Jack swears he saw a woman literally disappear out of the corner of his eye. She had looked at him for a moment, as if stopping time in order to tell him something, but suddenly turns and disappears out of existence in a haze of off-color static. He thinks for a moment that it could have been a television. The girl a projection on a huge fuzzy screen, but once the haze leaves there is nothing but darkness and the red hazard lights alerting splicers and Steinman of his presence. His eyes adjust to the darkness, pistol at the ready. Jack feels the heavy weight of the large wrench at his hip as every movement in his peripherals make him twitch in reaction. 

As Jack hears the calls of splicers coming to hunt him, he purses his lips and decides to push on. He will deal with the mystery of the disappearing woman later.

\---

The second time he comes across her is in the middle of defending himself from an angry Big Daddy in the Fighting McDonaugh’s. The Bouncer has just charged into the bar, causing splinters of wood to fly in the air. Jack squints, hoping no wayward bits of wood and dust get in his eyes. He needs to fight this thing if he has any hopes of escape. Over the roar of the Bouncer, the whir of the huge drill and the screams of the Little Sister; he hears a woman’s voice. She calls to him from above, a semi-high pitch amongst the noise ringing in his ears.

Against his better judgement, Jack looks up quickly to see the top of the woman’s head as she tosses a needle of eve and a medical kit to the ground by his feet. He distinctly hears the shot of a gun and his attention suddenly falls back to the Bouncer, whose roar causes his vision to blur. He takes advantage of the disruption and pockets the kit before grabbing the syringe. He jabs the needle in his arm, feeling the power of Eve flowing through his veins as his body instinctively switches to Incinerate, the now familiar burn of fire overwhelming every nerve in his body. He attacks the Bouncer.

After what may have seemed like forever, the Bouncer is now a charred suit in the corner of the barroom. The young Little Sister is now crawling back into the vent doing who knows what with her newfound freedom. Jack turns and walks back up to the second floor of the establishment. He knows he won’t find anything, but curiosity gets the better of him. He stands in the place where the woman would have been if she had stayed and he thinks, “ _How peculiar_ ” when he notices a small glinting piece of silver on the floor.

He picks it up and holds it to the light. A thimble. He pockets the item, assuming he’d eventually have the chance to return it.

\---

He saves her at the Farmer’s Market, shotgun shells blast from his gun into the back of her SportBoosted jock pursuer. She’s running towards what looks like a rip in a floating poster, Jack realizes it’s not a poster, not when the little girl scrambles through. From his view of the other side, the colors look off, just like before, still like bad reception on a television, and the woman turns to Jack, her gaze hard, frustrated, but she nods in thanks. Jack knows there’s something about her that is familiar. He knows her. He can’t fathom from where or what, but he doesn’t say anything. He really doesn’t know what to say anyway. So he nods back, keeping watch until she’s gone and he can move on.

\---

 _She’s a strong little thing_ , Jack thinks as he watches her smash a sizable pipe into the back of a splicer’s frozen head. The ice cracks with an audible smack and he watches as she raises her arms back again, ready to smash what was left of the man’s head. 

Jack looks behind her to see a Spider Splicer sneaking up on the ceiling, their hooks casting small sparks in the air. The woman’s too busy to notice, so Jack sends a handful of Winter Blast towards the splicer, mentally patting himself on the back with the satisfaction of a job well done when he sees the scrambling body freeze in mid air. He gets his pistol at the ready and as he’s about to take aim he hears the woman yell, “Look out!

He feels something ram into his side, pushing his body out of the way, just in time for him to avoid a hook to the head. He hears the woman hiss, a small gash appearing across her cheek. Her dark hair sticks a bit to the blood on her face as she stands up stares down the splicer. Jack takes the moment to freeze the splicer. The woman hits the ice with another sickening crack as Jack switches to his pistol to finish off the splicer still frozen to the ceiling.

He turns back to thank the woman, but is greeted with nothing but thawing splicer corpses.

\---

“Against my better judgement, I have to warn you about going through that door.”

Jack turns to see the woman standing behind him. They’re in the foyer leading to Ryan’s office. The rotting corpses of those who worked for the maniacal objectivist looking down at them. Jack can’t help but think about how weird it is that this woman shows up at the perfect moments. He looks down at the radio hooked to his belt. Atlas is listening.

“Those doors hold your future and your past. I-- I know what you’re going to find out and how you’re going to feel about it in the end.”

The water is pouring all around the both of them, muffling the mechanical din of their surroundings. A part of Jack wants to just move forward, but the other half wins out and and keeps him there to listen to her. She takes a deep breath and Jack notices that she looks exhausted. She brings her arms up and crosses them in front of her body. She’s dressed nice, rare for a place covered in mutated homicidal humans, but you appreciate how she looks. She’s like a breath of fresh air.

“Listen, I know this sounds crazy, but I’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”

Jack is about to answer, but she pulls out a cigarette. Instead, he walks forward and offers her a light. She looks slightly surprised, but Jack notices the tired smile in her eyes as she bends down and allows the cigarette to be lit by his finger. 

“Just like the advertisements, right?”

She laughs a bit and pats his arm. He then pulls out the thimble, which seems to surprise the woman. She holds out her hand as he drops the item in her palm. He notices that her pinky is unnaturally short. She rolls it in her hand and smiles again.

“Guess we just can’t escape our fates, can we?”

Jack shrugs, turns and goes to meet his destiny.

\---

Jack doesn’t see the woman for hours, but he knows she’s aware of what’s happened. Ryan is dead and Fontaine is on the rise. His father is dead and his savior is going to kill them all. He’s doing his damndest to get as many girls to safety as he can, but as he goes to finally meet Fontaine, he wonders if they will be stuck down here with him in the end. If they’d be fated to die lost under the sea with no one alive to care.

 _Then again_ , he thinks, _she will be there. She’s probably helping those little girls get out of this hellhole right then and there_.

\---

“Those little girls saved your life.”

Jack slowly opens his eyes, his vision slowly going back into focus. She’s kneeling next to him, a soft smile on her face. He notices as she brushes her hair from her face that her cheek is now bandaged. 

“I know you can’t speak now, but this is important. Do you understand? I’m going to get you out of here. And before you ask, no, I’m not sure where we’ll go. I’m sure there’s another place where we’ll be safe. With the girls. I know the Luteces won’t be happy about it, but I can’t leave them here. I know you wouldn’t either.”

She stands, offering him her hand, the one with the thimble on her pinkie. He breathes in and out slowly before moaning like one of those Big Daddies as he goes to grab for her hand. His whole body aches. She grips his hand and pulls him to a sitting position. He’s out of his mind, he thinks, putting so much faith in this woman, but he can’t seem to help it. 

“We’ll be like the Luteces in the end… sort of. Jack… your name’s Jack, right? I’m Elizabeth. Just trust me and we’ll be alright.”

**Author's Note:**

> Not quite what I had originally intended, but I am in love with the idea that one day Jack and Elizabeth could cross paths in some universe.


End file.
